Naidi
by Haolyn
Summary: War is inevitable. It looms above us like dark clouds. Sides are chosen, loyalties are tested and sacrifices must be made. In a world where demons threaten to destroy you from the outside, you must also face a danger far greater. The demons inside you.
1. Memories

_**Author's Note: **__Well, hey there, folks. Here's my little attempt at a Warcraft fanfiction. I do not roleplay, but I've had this idea for a while and it kind of turned itself into a fanfic over time.

* * *

_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do now own World of Warcraft. All fictional names used in this fanfic are made up and do not represent any real characters. If you have a character with that name, it is purely coincidental.

* * *

_

**Chapter 1**

**Memories

* * *

**

This was not good.

He knew the mission was going to be difficult the moment he accepted it. He expected the trolls to be pretty unwelcoming towards him, considering he looked exactly like their sworn enemies. But before he even had a chance to open his mouth to talk they started screaming something at him in an unknown language. And he was now faced with an angry mob of wild, relentless trolls chasing him with spears and bows, as if he was some kind of animal they would hunt and eat. Which was not completely impossible, considering the rumors that they were cannibals.

He ran through the trees away from the village chased by ten or so angry trolls, hoping to find a cave or something to hide into, all the while cursing his superior that sent him to this death trap. He had been assured the trolls were well aware of the alliance and will receive him peacefully.

He barely dodged a spear hurled at him from behind.

The trees were getting thicker and thicker, yet the trolls made no sign of letting him go that easily. In fact, they were gaining up on him. Normally he would have just turned around and beat them all senseless, but he had a feeling that wouldn't help with his diplomatic mission at all. He needed to try and talk some sense into them, so he skidded to a halt and turned around, ready to activate his Divine Shield in case things got nasty. He braced himself against the tree he was leaning on and opened his mouth to say something-

-when a pair of hands reached out from somewhere above and pulled him up the tree. The trolls, who probably had their views blocked by the trees, seemed not to notice this, as they just continued running through the woods. However, he only saw said trolls with the lesser part of his concentration. The dominant one was focused on what – or rather _who_ – pulled him up. A girl, which he assumed was an elf, judging from her skin color and stature, was crouched on the branch he was pulled up to and was covering his mouth with her hand, her eyes focused on the trolls that were going away.

He made no move to distance himself, not because he was scared, but because he didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off her. She had pale, ivory skin and her slender figure was wrapped in some sort of leather outfit that looked very similar to what the trolls were wearing. She had long, waist-length black hair that hung wildly on her shoulders. But what was most surprising about her were her strange, purple-colored eyes, unlike anything he had ever seen on an elf before.

He considered what he could say to her when she sighed and gazed at him.

"Are you okay?" Then, after he nodded, "Those trolls are pretty dangerous, you should stay away from them."

For some reason, he felt mildly insulted. "I could have beaten them easily, you know."

"Then why were you running away?" she asked, her tone not making her sound particularly interested. She jumped off the tree branch and landed nimbly on her feet into a crouched position, then sat up as he descended as well.

"Believe it or not, our two peoples are supposed to be allies."

"Allies?" Now she started to sound interested, her long, slender ears perking up. "These trolls are vicious savages. They barely even grunt to other people before killing them."

"Aren't they part of the Horde?"

"They aren't part of anything but their secluded tribe. You surely made a mistake."

He shook his head. "The Revantusk trolls are said to be loyal to the Horde."

She giggled, then shook her head as well. "Those trolls were not the Revantusks," she explained. "Their tribe is called Vilebranch, and they inhabit the Shaol'Watha ruins you ran away from. The Revantusks live in Revantusk Village, which is on the beach, beyond the Overlook Cliffs." Noticing her explanation only seemed to confuse him even further, she added: "I could take you there if you want to. I'm headed in that direction as well." Then, with a smirk, "You could probably use some help around these parts, anyway. Forest trolls all look alike to an outsider."

He frowned. "How…considerate. Thank you." He was about to point out that she was an outsider as well, but he realized that probably wasn't exactly true. Who was this girl?

She turned and gestured him to follow her, then proceeded to walk a steady pace through the woods. They kept walking for a while, keeping alert to their surroundings just in case they bumped into the Vilebranch trolls again. He refrained from asking any questions, opting to stay focused on the task at hand for the time being. He was surprised when they reached a clearing, only to find the edge of a river, the roaring sound of a thundering waterfall close.

"There is no path?" he asked, looking down the cliff and almost gulping at the long way down.

"There is, but it's in the opposite direction. Besides, we risked bumping into more trolls had we gone that way. The beach below is safer."

Without another word, she walked to the stone at the root of the waterfall and let herself slide down with the current. He watched her graciously dive into the sea and come back up for air in a few seconds. She swam to the beach and beckoned him to follow.

He simply activated his Divine Shield and jumped directly to the ground, boring into the soft dirt as he landed in a crouched position. He deactivated his shield and turned to look at her as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Afraid of a little swim?" she asked, slightly amused.

"My armor will rust."

Her only response was a simple "Hn" as she turned and continued her strode along the beach.

After a while he was getting a little uncomfortable at the silence, though it didn't seem to bother her. He was quite curious to learn more about her. Was she a blood elf or high elf? She was helping him and seemed to know the Revantusks, though she lacked the green hue to her eyes to show she was a blood elf. In fact, she looked more like a high elf with her pale skin and unusual eye color, though not even high elves would normally have such a purple tint to it. On the other hand, her way of dressing and the way she knew her way around made her seem more like a troll than anything else.

Since there was no more danger around them other than the harmless turtles, he decided he could spark a bit of a conversation to hear some answers.

"So…how come you know so much about trolls?"

"I live among them."

He raised his eyebrows. Now _that_ was unexpected. "Are you a blood elf?"

"Not really."

"High elf?"

"Not quite."

He smirked. "Troll?"

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"Then _what_ are you?"

She sighed. "Does it matter?"

He pondered for a moment. "Well…yeah."

She sighed again, trying not to show she was a little bothered by his attitude. "Well you can't exactly call me a high elf, since I'm not welcomed among them. So I guess that makes me a blood elf, unless there's some in-between half-breed out there. Not that I care, anyway."

"Why do you live with the trolls?"

"Where else to live? They accept me for who I am, not caring about pointless things like my race."

"Were you born here? Are you the only one of your kind who lives here?"

"Why so many questions?" she shot back, slightly annoyed.

"I was just…curios."

He didn't get a chance to find out more, as she pretty much ignored him the rest of the way.

Soon they reached their destination, and what he saw was… a simple village. Small, with a few huts here and there, and a slightly more crowded area where he assumed was the marketplace. He saw a bigger hut close to the center of the village and then a pier where the local windmaster was keeping his wyverns. There were a few fishermen there as well, and that was pretty much it.

There weren't many trolls bustling about, but the few that were there were of course staring at him while completely _not_ staring at the girl next to him, as if she was the most normal thing in the world. So she really was living with the trolls.

"Well, this is it," she said, now not ignoring him anymore. "The largest hut is where the elders are. I assume it's them that you need to speak with. See you around."

"Can I at least know your name?" he asked, after she turned around to leave.

She looked back a bit surprised and smiled. "Naidi," she answered, then she headed off into the crowded marketplace.

* * *

He started shivering again, the cold getting to him, as he pulled the lame excuse for a blanket over his head. The elders had signed his documents (or more like scribbled something unintelligible on them; did they even know how to write?) and offered him a place to spend a night at the local inn. Said inn turned out to be merely a slightly larger hut with a few hammocks tied to the walls and a small stove in the middle. The trolls next to him didn't seem to mind the cold as they slept, snoring so hard the entire hut was shaking. And if the cold and snores weren't enough, the incredibly _huge_ mosquitoes were definitely guaranteeing him a night with no sleep at all.

He sat up and descended from his uncomfortable hammock, keeping his blanket (which was actually several pieces of cloth badly sewn together). He decided he could find a nice quiet spot to make a fire and tap a couple of mana crystals. He always tapped mana crystals when he was nervous; it helps him calm down.

He thought the beach would be a good place for a campfire and headed there, but apparently someone had already thought about that. Maybe said person wouldn't mind some company.

Naidi hadn't gotten much sleep tonight. The dream was bugging her again and she couldn't tell why; it had been so long since she had it. Could it have something to do with the arrival of that blood elf? She really doubted he had anything to do with it, but the timing was perfect.

Usually the sea would calm her down after the dream, so she went to her usual camping spot and started a fire, only to see said blood elf approach her after a few minutes. Why did she keep bumping into him?

"Can't sleep?" she asked when he came near her, blanket on his shoulders.

"No. Mind if I join you?"

She simply shrugged, so he sat down at the fire across from her. He was still cold, but the fire was warm and comforting. She didn't seem to mind the cold, even wearing the same clothes she had when he met her. The locals were probably used to the weather.

"You didn't tell me your name either," she remembered.

"Haiden."

She nodded, and then pretended to be lost in though.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then he realized he didn't know what to say. He had so many things he still wanted to know about her, but something told him she wasn't in the mood for another interrogation.

"There aren't any others like me here," she said, all of a sudden.

"Huh?" He then realized she just answered something he had asked earlier. "Oh…I see."

"And I wasn't born here either. I was born in Quel'Thalas."

"How did you end up living here?"

She hesitated for a bit. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't exactly…remember. All I know is, after the Scourge invasion I ended up here…somehow. I know it sounds strange, but…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Many people asked her the same questions, and after hearing her answer they just dismissed her as crazy. Not that she cared.

"What about your family?"

"That's the strangest part. I don't remember anything about them. All my memories are…not there. I just somehow…_know_ that I was born in Quel'Thalas, and then we were invaded, but the rest…"

"And the Revantusks? Didn't they see you coming or something?"

"I simply woke up on the beach not far from here one day. I just found their village and they let me live among them, which I'm very grateful for."

A pause.

"And this happened…how much time ago?"

"A few years, I think. I didn't really keep track."

He kept silent for a few moments, pondering her words. Then he spoke again.

"Haven't you ever wondered what happened to your family? Maybe they're still alive. We've already started rebuilding the kingdom, and we're now a part of the Horde."

"I know. The village elders were informed about the blood elves from Sen'Jin himself. I haven't seriously thought about going away, though. I kind of like it here."

Another pause.

"Well…I'm not scheduled to stay here too long. Tomorrow afternoon I must take a wyvern to Silvermoon City to report back. If you change your mind…"

"I'll…consider it."

He nodded, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead he turned his gaze to the flickering fire, leaving the girl to her thoughts.

He suddenly remembered the other reason he was here, and nearly groaned in frustration. Really, his needs could be quite annoying at times.

Naidi interrupted her chain of thoughts, as the man in front of her started shuffling rather nervously through a pouch he held on his waist. She watched curiously as he pulled out a glowing, green little crystal. She continued to stare while he gripped said crystal with a strange expression…like he was focusing very hard on something. She realized he was in fact focusing on the crystal itself, as it started glinting brightly all of a sudden, before melting into a green liquid in his hands. The liquid then quickly evaporated in a green puff, and her eyes widened as it was simply _absorbed_ by his skin. She could smell it, and the scent wasn't appealing at all. It reeked of something unnatural and repulsive and…_wrong_. She wrinkled her nose at it.

He noticed that, then began to speak a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, I'm…err…sorry. I should have known the smell would be tempting. I can share a few, I have plenty."

"What are those things?" The unpleasant scent was gone now, but she was slightly confused. _'Tempting?'_ She didn't feel particularly drawn to that thing. It was actually quite…disgusting.

He was a bit surprised by her reaction. She seemed actually uncomfortable with the crystal, though the thought sounded absurd to him. Any race that was addicted to magic and was left without a source of it would go crazy over this simple container of arcane energies. He'd seen his people fight over them like savages, slowly slipping away into madness. Yet she seemed to be totally unaffected. Which led to another question – where did the girl procure the magic she surely needed? He then remembered she was still waiting for an answer.

"That was a mana crystal. You know, to feed the hunger. They come in handy while travelling."

Her eyes narrowed. "Hunger?"

"Or thirst, however you prefer to call it."

"Thirst? Thirst for _what_?"

It was his turn to narrow his eyes. "For magic," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And it was, in his opinion.

"You…thirst for magic? But…why?"

"You don't…_feel_ it?"

She shook her head.

"What are you talking about?"

And he was gazing back, slightly shocked.

He was speechless for a few moments, trying to understand what she meant. Couldn't she feel the horrible, painful sensation of magic deprivation? Was her source so reliable that she didn't even realize her own addiction to it?

He thought about how to explain the feeling to her while sparing here the tedious details their history provided. He then had an amusing thought. Was it like this for the blood elf ambassadors when they attempted to explain to the Horde their addiction? Suddenly, the girl seemed more different than him than ever before.

"Have you never felt that…you wanted something so badly you'd die without it? That you were…abruptly cut off from this something?"

She shook her head, even more confused than before. He decided a small history lesson would be in order.

"The elves, both high elves and blood elves, have been addicted to magic since thousands of years ago. Our ancestors had…messed around with powerful magics, and in the process they have become addicted to it. This addiction passed down from generation to generation. Magic itself runs through our veins. It's what keeps us alive and gives us…_gave _us immortality. Without it, we'd wither and die. We must…feed with magic from the exterior, to keep the supply in our blood from depleting."

She listened carefully to his explanation, nodding silently.

"The feeding wasn't a problem before, since we had the Sunwell. Its pure, sparkling waters bristled with magic itself, and its volatile essences nourished our kingdom, infusing the land itself with arcane energies. We wouldn't even realize we were addicted to it, since the magic was in more than enough supply for everyone."

He paused, waiting for her to digest what he was saying. He then realized she must now be in the same condition he spoke about – not being aware of the addiction, since the source is plentiful. He wondered again what her source of magic could be, before resuming his little speech.

"Then the Scourge invaded, and used the magic waters of the Sunwell to resurrect their lich." Naidi didn't miss how his eyes saddened while he recalled this part. "The waters were drained of magic and defiled with undeath. We have been cut off from our unlimited supply ever since, and are feeding on whatever sources of magic we can find. Some who were not so fortunate have gone mad with their addiction. We call them the Wretched."

There was another moment of silence, and he didn't say anything else. There was nothing left to say, really. He saw the horrors his people were going through, saw those being captured by the Wretched being brought back as mangled, bloodless corpses, and he wished with all his power that no one ever saw them again. He had been one of the lucky persons whose family had a large supply of mana crystals stashed away when news of the war was approaching. Most, however, weren't so lucky. If it hadn't been for Kael'Thas-

"And this…addiction…cannot be cured somehow?"

He was a bit surprised when she suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts, but he answered. "No. Many have tried, but the effects of the magic run too deep in our system. We need it like we need air, and it runs through us like blood. The name 'Blood Elves' isn't just a fancy nickname." The last part was supposed to be funny, but it came out more bitterly than he had expected.

She nodded again, now understanding better. But understanding didn't mean she could relate to it. She had never felt anything similar to what he had described. The only hunger and thirst she had ever felt were the natural needs for food and water. She didn't recall to have ever been addicted to something. Even when she woke up on this very beach one day, she felt absolutely normal. A bit confused and dizzy, but normal nonetheless. No sudden urges to feed on magic, nothing of the sort. Heck, she'd even found his magic source repulsive.

She shared all this with him, and he nodded too. She was right. It was as if, for her, the Sunwell had never ceased to exist. Or better yet, as if she _wasn't addicted to magic at all_. Was it even possible?

They both contemplated in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

* * *

"_Naidi, stop running so fast! You'll sprain your ankle again!"_

_The little girl giggled, but didn't stop. She continued to sprint through the tall, soft grass. Inhaling deeply, she took in the grassy scent while closing her eyes. She slowly let the sounds around her turn into an unintelligible blur and imagined herself flying. _

_She was abruptly pulled from her daydream as strong hands grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her to a stop. She tried to struggle, but the hold was like steel. Protective._

"_He he. It tickles! Let go!"_

"_Only if you promise to stop running."_

"_Oo-kaay. He he."_

_As soon as the grip on her waist loosened, she broke into another sprint._

"_You little liar!" The accusation was probably meant to be scolding, but the tone was amused. "Naidi, be caref-"_

_The person didn't have a chance to finish what they were saying, as they suddenly started screaming. Confused, the girl turned her head to see what happened, but didn't stop running. Suddenly, she was surrounded by darkness as pain erupted in her head._

Naidi jumped up with a surprised sound and startled expression on her face. Her breathing was hitched and uneven and her forehead was covered in drops of sweat. She had been dreaming. Again.

'_That's two of them in a row. And in the course of the same night!'_

She glanced around her, noticing the sun was barely rising from the sea. The blood elf was sleeping soundly at the other side of the extinguished campfire. His mouth was half open and he was shivering slightly, blanket laying on the ground beside him.

She got up and gently tucked the blanket around the sleeping man. He must be a deep sleeper if the sound of her rough awakening didn't even make him flinch. Usually when she woke up from the nightmare in her village hut it would be with screams so loud the neighbors would come barging in.

Which reminded her she had a decision to make. He said he'd be leaving this afternoon, so it had to be made quickly. Reason told her she had to go; if her family was still alive she would very well like to meet them. Maybe her memory would return when seeing them, and if not they could simply fill in the blanks anyway. Then she would decide if she wanted to stay there or return to her peaceful life here. She was a grown woman after all.

But she couldn't shake the feeling something was off. Somehow, she had a strange urge to _not_ find out about her past after all. If what she had to face at that time was strong enough to make her lose her memory, then she cringed at the idea of facing it again.

She scowled herself inwardly for that feeling. She was just being a coward. But the fear was there nonetheless.

With a sigh, she sat up again and headed for the village. Maybe her thoughts would make more sense on a full stomach.

* * *

The wind blew again through the uncovered window of the small hut, causing the bells of the intricate wind net hanging on the wall to ring softly.

"You can come in, child," said the elder female troll seated on the rocking chair in the middle of the small one-room hut.

"Sorry to disturb you, elder Wah'tar."

"You never disturb me, Naidi. You be always welcomed here."

The elf entered the room and sat cross-legged on the wooden matrice in front of the elder woman. They smiled at each other.

"Elder, I…need your help."

"Ah. This be 'bout that elf boy, eh?"

"Not exactly, but, yes, he has a part in this."

The elder waited patiently while Naidi phrased her request. The only sounds in the small hut where the bells ringing and the rocking chair squeaking.

"He…offered to take me back to Quel'Thalas."

"And you want to go?"

"I…don't know."

Silence fell again, but this was not unusual for the two women who often had conversations like these together.

"I have to go find out about my past."

"You don't have to do anything, child. You be free to do what you want. You want to find out 'bout your family?"

"Yes…"

"Naidi…"

The younger woman, who had been looking down all this time, lifted her eyes to meet the elder's.

"That not be the only reason you don't wanna go, am I right?"

She lowered her eyes to the floor again.

"This is my home."

"Child, this be a fishing village. You be young and strong. Your people need you."

"You need me here too."

"You been born for greater things than fishing."

Another pause.

"Whatever you do, Naidi, do it for you. Not for anyone else."

"Thank you, elder."

Of course, she'd only mentioned half of her reasons for staying. The other half, she was sort of embarrassed to talk about.

The elder wasn't fooled, as usual.

"You know you can tell me anything, child. What be bothering you?"

Oh well, maybe letting everything out wasn't so bad, after all.

"I'm…afraid," she said simply. The elder understood.

"Your parents loved you, Naidi. Never doubt that."

"What if they didn't? What if they just kept me alive out of pity and abandoned me? What if…"

She could feel moisture gathering in her eyes but she refused to let the tears out.

"Then show them what a mistake they made."


	2. Perspective

_**Disclaimer: **__I do now own World of Warcraft. All fictional names used in this fanfic are made up and do not represent any real characters. If you have a character with that name, it is purely coincidental.

* * *

_

**Chapter 2**

**Perspective

* * *

**

Haiden sighed again. It was well past his scheduled hour of departure and the girl still wasn't here.

"Hey elf boy," said the windmaster, "you sure this friend of yours is coming? My wyverns need sleep too you know."

"Yes, I'm sure." It was a lie, but he refused to believe she wasn't coming. He needed to show this girl to his superiors. If she was indeed not addicted to magic, his people could learn _a lot_ from her. He'd even go after her and beg her on his knees if he had to. The girl was definitely coming to Silvermoon.

He continued pacing in front of the wyvern nests, contemplating different types of begging in his head. He wondered if she had a soft spot for crying.

After another half an hour, the girl _finally _came. Haiden was torn between hugging her and complaining that she was five hours late. He opted for a neutral expression instead.

"Thanks for waiting. It was hard making a decision, and I had to say goodbye to everyone."

"No problem," he lied. Oh, his superior was going to kill him. Then again, it was the first time in his entire career that he was late. That ought to count for something. "Are you sure you want to come?" He then mentally slapped himself for saying that. _'What am I doing? I'm supposed to convince her to come not seed more doubts.'_

She contemplated for a moment, but it seemed like an eternity for him. "Yes. I'm sure."

He nodded and turned to the windmaster, who grumbled something about his poor wyverns needing rest.

Naidi stared at the sea under the dim light of the setting sun. She closed her eyes, wanting to feel the salted breeze one more time. She was going to miss the sea. It had been her home for… as long as she could remember. But the elder was right. It was not her destiny to live here. It was time to grow up, and do the right thing.

She turned toward Haiden with a determined expression on her face. She didn't shed any tears.

* * *

It was not the first time Naidi had been in contact with wyverns. She sometimes helped the windmaster take care of them. Most of them even remembered her scent. But it was the first time she actually got to _ride_ them. She wasn't scared per se, just slightly concerned. She wished she wouldn't have to ride one alone, but there was hardly room for one more on Haiden's animal, and the poor thing would have a hard time carrying them both anyway.

Her traveling partner said they would reach Silvermoon in a couple of hours if they didn't have to wait too much at the stop along the way. He explained that they couldn't fly directly to Silvermoon, as the wyverns weren't trained to fly there yet, so they had to stop at the closest place the wyverns were trained to fly and take another ride to Silvermoon from there. Which was Light's Hope Chapel in Eastern Kingdoms. Haiden said something about the people living there being friendly towards both Alliance and Horde, but she was too preoccupied with keeping herself on the wyvern that she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings.

She later learned that had been his mission in the first place – travel by foot to Revantusk Village to tell the windmaster to begin training his wyverns to fly directly to Silvermoon. That and strengthening the diplomatical bonds between the trolls and blood elves. They had promised aid in the form of men and supplies if they ever requested it. She wondered if the elves would actually bother with helping that little fishing village. Well it didn't matter. She herself would return in a heartbeat if they ever needed her help.

At the Light's Hope Chapel they traded in their wyverns for some sort of huge bats that lived in the area. Sadly the bats weren't much more comfortable than the wyverns, and they also smelled funny. They probably didn't like being washed. She made a mental note to take a bath as soon as possible after landing.

It was already dark when they arrived at the Silvermoon gates, so Naidi didn't see much of the "astounding architecture" Haiden was bragging about. The gates seemed big and fancy. She was too tired to notice much else.

Haiden offered her a place to stay at his house, and she accepted. She didn't have any money to pay for an inn and she felt a bit uncomfortable asking him to pay for her. She'd have to get some sort of job soon so she wouldn't be a bother for too long, though he insisted she was more than welcomed to stay for as long as she wanted.

His house turned out to be this two-storey apartment with two bedrooms (thankfully), situated in a place called Walk of Elders. She briefly wondered if she should ask Haiden for a map of the city so she wouldn't get lost in the future. It was probably a good idea.

His apartment had two bathrooms, each of them on a different storey and next to a bedroom. She would be taking the one upstairs. She had to admit it was a nice change from her modest hut back in the village. She couldn't remember if she actually slept in a real bed before. She probably did, during the time she lived with her family. That reminded her of the task she came here to do. But she would not worry about that now. She was too tired.

At least the bath would be an easy task. The elves apparently procured fresh water from the underground through a complicated system that involved both pipes and magic. All you had to do was rotate a small cog and water would flow from the pipe directly in the washing bowl or bathtub. She had to give the elves credit for being inventive, though they probably did it out of laziness. In her village they would use the old-fashion wells.

The water was also heated from a stove that connected with the bathtub, where Haiden had kindly started a fire when he led her to the room. The water would be nice and hot in about an hour, perfect for a bath. She used this time to take note of her surroundings.

She didn't bring any clothes with her, partly because they would be difficult to transport on a wyvern and partly because most of them were only good for hunting. So she settled for sleeping with a towel on and washing the clothes she was already wearing in the morning. She would worry about buying new clothes later.

She didn't actually bring anything with her besides the clothes she was wearing. She had lived in that village for years, yet she didn't have anything she wanted to bring with her. It probably meant she wasn't meant to stay there for the rest of her life. Well, she refused to forget the people who had accepted her as their own in her time of need. She would visit them someday. She promised.

After a hot bath (she had to admit the colored soaps Haiden had brought her smelled very nice) and drying her long hair, she cleaned the bathroom. It seemed all she had to do was pull the little cap at the bottom of the tub for the water to evacuate through there who-knows-where. She was definitely starting to like this place.

She climbed into the queen-sized bed in the room and pulled the thin sheets over her. It was warmer in Silvermoon it seems, as the bedding was thinner than the blankets she used in her old home. Then again, she supposed a hut with thin walls and no windows was not exactly well isolated from the cold.

She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep in a new place and was already steeling herself for a long night of rolling in the bed sheets, but as soon as she extinguished the candles on the nightstand and closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepy head! Why would you be in bed sleeping when there's such a beautiful day outside? Then again, it's _always_ a beautiful day in our lovely Silvermoon. I guess you could say we're kind of blessed, whomever the person doing the blessing is. I've never really believed in any gods. When I was little…"

Naidi cracked open her eyes to the figure that had awaken her and was now babbling incessantly while pulling the curtains and opening the windows, letting sunlight and the cool morning air in.

"But then again, you could say that people have always been superstitious about something. My mom used to say…"

"Sorry, have we met before?"

The figure (Naidi could now see that she was a girl) turned around with a surprised expression on her face, before she realized something and grinned.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot we haven't been introduced. I'm Haiden's sister, Elania. You're Naidi, right? Haiden told me _all_ about you this morning over breakfast. I live a few blocks away and I always come and cook breakfast for him. His cooking is downright awful, I tell you! If it weren't for me he'd go to training starved to death. He can't even…"

Naidi blinked while staring at the girl. Now that she looked at her, she did indeed resemble Haiden a bit. Her long and curly hair was the exact same shade of blonde as Haiden's and their eyes were of the same shape. She was probably the same age as her, judging from her stature. That gave her an idea.

"Um, Elania. Could I ask for a favor?"

The girl paused her ranting and looked at her.

"Can I borrow some clothes?"

* * *

Elania had been right. It really was a beautiful day outside, warm and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. The wind was blowing a relaxed breeze, just enough so the heat wouldn't be unbearable.

Haiden's sister had kindly gone back to her house after asking her what kind of clothes she preferred. Not being too picky with her outfits, Naidi had just shrugged and said she would wear anything the other girl wasn't very fond of. She didn't want to wear her best piece of clothing. She had an odd tendency to get careless with her clothes. Needless to say, most of her old clothes were full of cuts and patches.

She did have one requirement, though, and that was _pants_. Nothing personal, but she wasn't exactly comfortable with wearing one of the long robes the women around here seemed so fond of wearing. She preferred practical over fashionable.

Back in her village, she used to make her clothes from leather she herself had skinned while hunting, and it was safe to say they would pale in comparison to what she was wearing now. She could never hope to achieve such intricate details and pleasant assortment of colors with her rather rudimentary leatherworking. The shirt and shoes Elaine had brought along complemented the pants perfectly. And she couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the choice of color. Green had always been her favorite.

So it surprised her a bit when Elaine had mentioned (after apologizing several times beforehand) that it was her least favorite piece of clothing. But she realized why when she looked at what the other girl was wearing. To say the velvet robe she had on looked insanely well decorated was an understatement. Was she going to a ball later on? She would have thought a dress like that would be reserved for a special occasion. Even her own clothes, which she had considered to be extremely elegant, looked ridiculously plain in comparison to the other girl. Not that she was jealous or anything. She didn't concern herself with petty things like that.

One glance around her told her that Elania was clearly not the only one to dress in extravagant clothes. Everywhere you looked you could see blood elves wearing elegant and beautifully decorated outfits. Intricate hairstyles. Extravagant jewelry. And perfume. _Definitely_ too much perfume. Elves were clearly more focused on their image than anything else.

Because last night she had arrived late and was too tired to notice much, she didn't have a chance to actually see the city. But now, in broad daylight, she could clearly distinguish the beautiful architecture of Silvermoon. Red was the dominant color, but also white and golden. Houses and apartments were built close to each other, and the way the facades were decorated was simply breathtaking. Intricate columns and archways, floating platforms and flower pots, ornaments that were undoubtedly made of pure gold, everything gave the impression of wealth and prosperity.

And the mana crystals! How could one possibly miss the huge, green crystals floating next to the roads? The strange halo of light that surrounded them made it impossible to not stop and stare. And the more she stared, the more she could have sworn she saw a pair of _eyes_ in them, staring back at her with the same intensity. _'Creepy.'_

There was an odd smell in the air, the same smell as the one she felt when Haiden showed her a mana crystal. It was a smell she now associated with magic. But it didn't feel so strong here, probably being mixed with the smell of the flowers decorating every green corner of the city. It was probably a way of masking the scent so the blood elves wouldn't go crazy with their hunger.

The elves were clearly more obsessed with magic than what she originally thought. People were tapping mana crystals on benches, on the sidewalk and even while walking. She saw one man tie his shoelaces with magic. A woman had a floating mirror in front of her while a make-up pad was puffing some powder on her face, without her even needing to lift a finger! Brooms were sweeping the road by themselves. Gardening tools worked on flowers. Heck, even the _guards_ were some sort of robots run by magic.

They were so completely dependant on magic it wasn't even funny. Naidi didn't know whether she should feel jealousy or pity for them. Jealousy because they were obviously living in the lap of luxury, or pity because their dependency on magic was a weakness.

At one point, Elania pulled her into a tavern, babbling something about it having the best wine in the city. Upon entering, she had to work not to trip over something because of the temporary blindness. If the exterior of the city was bright and colorful, the interior was the exact opposite. The room was small, with a low ceiling, and tables were cramped together in one area, with a small bar to her left and a door covered by a curtain behind it where she assumed was the kitchen. The staff consisted of a barmaid and bartender, and probably a cook she guessed.

The silk tablecloths were dark blue and the chair cushions were purple, and she couldn't be sure about the walls because of the scarce lighting. The only source of light in the table area was a big chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, which she guessed must be made of gold, and it seemed to contain more decorations than actual candles. Dark blue gossamer-like curtains hung from the ceiling in several places, and the stair railing was of course made of gold. She couldn't see any windows.

It all seemed so… gloomy. Rich and extravagant, yes, but gloomy nonetheless. It was the exact opposite of what she would have expected. She wondered why the elves preferred dark interiors.

Her musings were interrupted when they were approached by the barmaid and seated at a two-person table in the middle of the room. Around them, more elves were obviously enjoying the wine, some only slightly tipsy but most of them drunk. Elania ordered some wine she couldn't understand the name of, then resumed her rambling. How the girl could talk so much about anything, Naidi had no idea.

"And then he asked me why I preferred fire over arcane. You know, arcane seems to be what everyone around here uses, but it's more of a utility rather than actually helpful in a fight. Fire is more offensive, while ice is definitely defensive, though that can be deadly too. I've seen a good number of mages…"

Somewhere throughout her ranting, the girl confessed she was training as a mage, while her brother was a high ranking blood knight. Naidi didn't know what a blood knight was, and Elania explained they were the blood elf equivalent of a paladin, using weapons and heavy armor to fight in addition to the Light, which was some sort of magic.

This reminded her that she hadn't seen Haiden all morning. She asked Elania if she had any idea where her brother was.

The girl snorted, a strange sound coming from a person like her. "Like he _ever_ tells me where he goes. He's so secretive all the time! He just ate breakfast in a hurry and went out, telling me to watch over you. He's probably training or being debriefed about his mission or who knows what else he does with his time."

They were interrupted when the barmaid brought them their wine. The cup was made of crystal, with golden ornaments, the same as the mug that contained the beverage. She briefly wondered why would they use such expensive cups when wooden ones would do the job just as well.

Her mind wondered to her village back in the Hinterlands. How different the life she had was from the lives of those living here! Everything was so plentiful, so easy to get. No one had to hunt or fish their meals. Or build their own huts. Or defend themselves against raids.

They knew how to have fun, on the other hand. The amount of food and drink they had on the tables was enough to feed her entire village for a week. She remembered when they were raided by some forest trolls and all their food supplies were stolen. She didn't eat for days, choosing to give everything she hunted to the sick and wounded instead. She wondered if the elves would have done the same.

How selfish their life seemed! They were living here in their little crystal globe, with everything they could possibly want at the tip of their fingers. They probably never knew any hardships. Hell, did they even know _anything else_ existed beyond their safe little city?!

This was not her. She could never live like this. Why did she come here in the first place?

Oh, right. Her family.

She was starting to have doubts. If her family was still alive, was this the way they lived too? Could they ever accept someone like her? Could _she_ accept them as her parents? Would she be happy to see them, or disgusted that this is how they lived? If she were to stay here, would she end up like this as well?

Now she was angry, at no one in particular and at everything at the same time. She felt like she needed to escape, to get out of this city before she started to become like them.

"Hey, Naidi, you okay? You've been brooding into your drink since we got here. Is there something wrong?"

'_Yes,'_ she wanted to say. _'_Everything _is wrong.'_

"I need to go out."

"But-"

She didn't say anything else and rose from her seat. Making her way through the tables, she went outside and had to wait for her eyes to get adjusted to the light. Thankfully, Elania chose not to follow her. She wanted to be alone.

The tavern where they had stopped was close to the city gates. She didn't look at the guards while she practically stomped out of Silvermoon and had to work on not hitting the drunk blood elf that greeted her as she made her way to the road.

Turning right and walking away from the gates, she let herself take a few deep breaths. The air was finally free of the poorly masked stench of magic, and she wanted to enjoy it. It seemed to help her clear her head.

The forest was beautiful, with tall, strangely grown trees. Each of the leaves seemed to have a unique color, from light green to dark red. She spotted some sort of big, red bird through the branches of one tree. It was a dragonhawk, she remembered. Haiden had showed her one when they first arrived.

She turned her head away from the trees and back on the road, when she suddenly stopped. Her eyes went so wide she thought they were going to pop out of their sockets. She was frozen in place.

Because in front of her, a few yards away, the land was dead. Literally. The beautiful grass was replaced by black soot. The pavement that made the road was dug up and scrambled. Only dark brown stumps remained of what were once trees. And the smell of _death_ hung in the air.

The dead area seemed to be only a few yards wide, but it stretched southwards as far as her eyes could see. It was like a huge path of death that stopped at the city walls. What was this place?

Some sounds could be heard from the part that stretched southwards. She jerked her head in that direction and felt something akin to fear take hold of her. Someone was coming, or more like some_thing_. She couldn't tell if they were blood elves, because their skin was some sort of green color. Their bones were twisted in weird ways. Some didn't even have eyes, or were missing limbs. Their faces wore terrifying expressions. Part of their flesh was rotten. They looked like corpses. Moving, walking corpses.

She had enough presence of mind to jump into a bush and stay hidden. She watched as the corpses (she couldn't think of any other way to call them) made their way towards the city. She now looked at the wall, and saw that it wasn't, in fact, a wall at all. There was a huge gap in the real wall, barricaded by wood and other debris. She saw some blood elves there, undoubtedly guarding the place. Their uniforms were different that what she saw the guards in the city wear, green instead of red. They didn't carry shields and seemed to wear leather armor. They were armed with swords, and were standing in a fighting position.

The woman in the middle of them yelled an attack order, and they charged the walking dead. They made quick work of them, as the dead didn't seem to carry any weapons. They fell after a few quick sword swipes. The group of guards retreated back to the barricade after finishing their jobs.

"Hey you!"

Naidi froze as she felt something sharp at her throat. Someone was behind her. She was so focused on the battle she didn't notice someone sneaking up on her.

"Who are you? Why were you hiding in a bush?"

She gulped.

"I…I was just watching the fight. I didn't mean any harm."

The person behind her relaxed and sheathed their sword. She turned around, only to come to face with a male blood elf wearing the same uniform as the guards she just watched fighting.

"Sorry, for a moment I thought you were an undead or something," he said while he rose to his feet. "Some of them are smart enough to sneak up on us." He extended a hand to her.

"Undead?" She accepted his hand and rose to her feet. He was slightly taller than her.

"I know, stupid, right? You don't_ look_ like an undead. I must be getting paranoid…"

She realized he was talking about the walking corpses. _'Undead… Well the name certainly fits well.'_

"It's okay. I shouldn't sneak up on people like that, but I've never actually seen undead before."

He seemed surprised. "Really? I take it you're not from around these parts, are you?"

"No. I've lived somewhere else for the past few years. I just arrived yesterday night."

"Hmm…now that I look at you, you don't seem like a blood elf either. Are you a high elf?"

She blushed a little when he stared into her eyes.

"Not…exactly, but I guess you could say that."

He smiled. "You don't see many high elves around these parts. Well, be careful next time you walk around. The undead aren't that strong, but if they catch you off-guard you could be hurt. You shouldn't travel alone."

"I see."

"Are you lost? Do you want me to accompany you?"

"That won't be necessary, farstrider. I'll take it from here."

They both turned their heads surprised at the man who spoke. He was wearing heavy armor and a red and black tabard. He carried a heavy-looking mace on his back, and his long blond hair was hung in a ponytail.

"Haiden," she acknowledged him. "I…I was just-"

"You shouldn't have left the city alone. The forest is dangerous."

She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. Who did he think he is?

"I can take care of myself."

"I can see that." He looked pointedly at the other man present. "Don't talk to strangers either."

Naidi couldn't believe how rude he was. Was he the same Haiden she met yesterday? "He was only trying to help."

"I'm sure he was. Come, we have to return. There is someone you must meet." He turned around and started walking back to the city gates.

"I don't think so!" she yelled at his retreating back.

The blood elf she met earlier, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, put one hand on Naidi's shoulder and gave her a small smile.

"He's right. You should go."

She looked at him. "But-"

"I need to go back to my team anyway. See you around."

"Wait," she blurted out as he was turning around to leave. "My…my name's Naidi."

He smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Naidi. I'm Keldan."

She watched him leave with a blush on her cheeks. Then she remembered Haiden who was still waiting for her to follow him, and her mood changed from content to angry in a matter of seconds. She jogged a little to catch up with him, then proceeded to scowl to his back.

"That was very rude, you know."

"I know," he said, not even bothering to look at her. Her anger only increased.

"I can't believe you! He was _really_ trying to help."

"By putting a sword to your neck?"

She paused. So he _did_ see that.

"It…it was only an accident."

"And if he had killed you on the spot, would that have been an accident as well?"

She didn't have a comeback for that. But she was still angry with him.

"Why did you leave the city?"

She remembered exactly why. Vibrant colors, gloomy interiors, abundance and extravagance. It was too much for her. She couldn't understand why the elves lived like that. She thought they were living in a crystal globe, away from the hardships of life. That they weren't capable of making sacrifices for the ones they loved.

She was wrong. They _could_ and _have_ made sacrifices. They fight the undead daily so their fellow brethren can have even an illusion of peace. They drown themselves in pleasure so they can forget what real life is like. So they can forget how much they lost in their fight against the undead.

Magic. Power. Immortality. She never had any of that, and she could only imagine how losing them could make you feel.

"I needed to readjust my perspective on life."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't comment.


	3. Assumptions

_**Author's Note:**__ A bit small compared to the last chapters, but I wanted to update this story already.

* * *

_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do now own World of Warcraft. All fictional names used in this fanfic are made up and do not represent any real characters. If you have a character with that name, it is purely coincidental.

* * *

_

**Chapter 3**

**Assumptions

* * *

**

Naidi sighed again and crossed her legs. She had been waiting in front of that stupid door for _hours_. And she was pissed.

She was pissed at herself for acting like a child. She had been so convinced the blood elves were despicable people that she ran away and nearly got herself killed. Honestly, just because they drink away their problems doesn't make them bad. And if they have enough money and power to live in the lap of luxury, well, good for them. Who wouldn't?

She was pissed at Haiden for acting like a jerk all day. After coming to her rescue as the knight in shining armor (she could take care of herself!), he practically dragged her back to Silvermoon refusing to tell her who they were supposed to meet. She then proceeded to yell at him to stop bossing her around, and he had oh-so-sweetly told her to stop being hysterical. And dodged her punch. When they arrived here he had simply told (_ordered_) her to stay in the waiting area while he went inside that office, shutting the door before she got a chance to call him a jerk again.

She was pissed at that stupid _door_. A door? In Silvermoon? These guys don't even know the concept of doors! They only ever use curtains. No interior has any doors. Not even her _bedroom_ has a door. Yet here it was, safely locked, practically laughing in her face.

What could possibly be so secretive that it would require a locked door? What were they doing in there? And most importantly, why was she _here_ when she could be inside the door too? Were they talking about her?

She started to contemplate just leaving that jerk in there and going back home. After all, if he had cared about her one bit he would have let her inside, right? Maybe he assumed she already left.

Now she felt stupid. Did she waste her entire day in this waiting room for nothing? But he told her to stay, didn't he?

She was almost convinced to leave when she heard a muffled sound inside the closed door. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to stay. What were they _doing_ in there?!

Annoyed, and exasperated, and downright bored out of her mind, she pushed herself up from the sofa and put her ear to the door. Maybe if she focused hard enough, she could hear something…

But of course, the moment she leaned her entire weight on the door, the damn thing was suddenly yanked open. As it opened on the inside, she came face-first into the arms of one certain blonde jerk.

This day just kept getting better and better.

"Naidi? What are you doing?"

She let out an exasperated sigh as she rubbed her nose.

"Next time you open the door with me leaning on it, make sure you wear soft clothes."

"Why were you leaning on the door?"

She looked up at him, almost snarling. "Why, to admire it, _obviously_! Can't you see? I'm absolutely _fascinated_ by ornamented, closed doors!"

Haiden gave her a look that suggested a headless chicken possessed more intelligence than her.

"Don't give me that look! I've been waiting for hours! What the hell did you bring me here for?"

"Ahem," said a person behind Haiden, which Naidi couldn't see because she was still leaning on him. "I'm afraid that was my fault. I apologize for making you wait."

When she straightened up, and Haiden moved so she could enter the room, she could see the person was a woman. A very beautiful woman. A bit older than her, but beautiful nonetheless. She had pale skin (even paler than her own, and that's saying much) and her sandy blond, chin-length hair seemed almost white. This was in stark contrast with her clothing. She was dressed entirely in black.

"I like to keep in-depth records of all of my patients, and I asked Haiden to tell me every little detail of when he first met you. It took longer than expected."

"Patients?" She looked at Haiden, confused.

"Naidi, I'd like you to meet Youra. She is a priest," he answered.

Priest? Well that was something new. She never met a priest before, so she didn't know what exactly they specialized in. Judging from what she heard, they must be some kind of doctors.

"Umm…nice to meet you," she said a bit stupidly, not really sure what to say. The woman watched her impassively, with a neutral expression on her face.

She continued to stare at her for about a minute, and she started to fidget uncomfortably. It was like she was trying to read inside her soul. She looked at Haiden again, only to see he had sat himself down on one of the chairs in front of Youra's desk, avoiding her gaze.

The silence and tension were so thick she could practically taste them. What was the woman doing? Was she waiting for her to say something?

"Please sit down," she said calmly, but even so Naidi nearly jumped. The woman continued to watch her as she sat in the other chair, next to Haiden.

"I would like you to tell me everything you remember about your past."

She frowned. Didn't Haiden already take care of that part?

"My farthest memory is of waking up on the beach in the Hinterlands."

"What about before that?" It was unnerving how neutral her tone was.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" she echoed.

"Yes. Nothing."

The woman didn't reply, just continued to stare at her.

Naidi waited patiently for another question. Because, really, there was nothing she remembered before that. Absolutely nothing.

"Then how do you know your name is Naidi?"

The younger woman blinked stupidly for a moment, dumbfounded. Well, _of course_ she knew her own name. Just like she knew she was born in Quel'Thalas and had somehow lost her memory during the Scourge invasion. Then again, there was indeed something that confirmed her name was Naidi, even though she knew it.

"There…there is just one thing. But I'm not sure if it's even a memory…"

Youra kept staring.

"It's a dream. Only one."

Seeing as she didn't reply, Naidi took that as a hint to continue.

"In the dream, I am a young girl, maybe four or five. I'm running through a field and imagining myself flying. There is another person with me, I'm not sure if it's male or female. They call me Naidi. They don't want me to run, saying that I'll sprain my ankle. At one point, they catch me from behind and only let me go when I promise not to run anymore. But when they do let go I run away again. They call me a liar with an amused tone, but then they start screaming. I'm surrounded by darkness and I feel pain in my head. That's when I wake up."

She waited for a reply from the woman. Seeing as there was none, she assumed she was still supposed to be saying something.

"I've had this dream the first week after I woke up, every night, sometimes several times a night. Then I started to have it less and less, until by the end of the first few months I wasn't having it at all anymore. But the night Haiden came, I dreamt it again. Two times, in the same night."

She didn't expect the woman to reply, and she was proven correct.

"I'm not sure if it's a memory or some subconscious thing, but that's all I have."

This time, Youra surprised her by actually talking.

"I believe it's both. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something, and the only way to do so is by invoking pieces of your history."

"So…the person in my dream is a relative?"

"No. The dream is not a memory per se, but rather a combination of elements from your past. You mustn't look at the dream itself, but at each individual element."

Youra's explanation only confused her even more. So it wasn't a memory, but it was made up of pieces from her past?

"It is purely symbolic," Youra continued. "Everything has a meaning."

"But what? Is it something about my past? Does it tell me where my parents are? Are they still alive?"

"I do not know. It is something you must find out for yourself."

For the first time since she entered the room, Youra broke eye contact with her. She sat herself at her desk and opened a large book where she had left a bookmark.

"But-"

"Thank you for your time, Youra."

She stared surprised at Haiden. So _now_ he chose to speak?

"I'm not-"

"No trouble at all," the woman replied evenly, not lifting her eyes from the book.

Naidi was now glaring openly at both of them. "You-"

She didn't get a chance to finish, as Haiden grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Youra could hear the muffled screaming from the other side and tried her best to ignore it.

* * *

Haiden pinched his nose, willing the irritation to go away. Why couldn't Naidi just trust him? She seemed intent on doing the exact opposite of everything he said.

"Please, Naidi, try to understand our situation here."

After taking her to see Youra, he had intended to visit the mages at the Sunspire so they could actually meet her. He had gone there this morning to tell them about her apparent non-addiction to magic, and it was safe to say they were ecstatic to see her. After all, it's not every day that a possible cure for magic addiction falls from the sky.

Sadly, said supposed cure was now stubbornly sitting on a bench outside Youra's house and refusing to go anywhere with him.

"Understand?" she scowled. "I am _done_ trying to understand you people! You've done nothing but treat me like trash the entire day! Why should I go anywhere with you?"

"Look, I gave you what you wanted, didn't I? I helped you find out more about your past."

"Help?!" she snarled. "You call that help? I didn't understand a word of what that creepy woman said! Now I'm even more confused than before!"

He sighed. "Youra is very talented with matters concerning the mind. I have no doubt that what she said is entirely true."

"_I_ do."

He covered his face with his palms.

"Okay. I'll do more than that. We're sure to find your name and the name of your parents at the registration office. We'll go there tomorrow, but now, _please_, just let me take you to the Sunspire."

"No."

Haiden was seriously contemplating banging his head on a wall. But he figured that wouldn't do his situation much good, despite making him feel better.

"So are you just going to sit on a bench all day?"

"Oh so now you have a problem with what I do with my time?"

He sighed. This was getting him nowhere.

"What's so important about that Sunspire anyway?" she mumbled.

"It is the meeting place of the most powerful mages in Silvermoon, and quite possibly the entire Quel'Thalas."

Naidi rolled her eyes. "Wow… are they going to sign autographs?" Sarcasm coated her every word.

"They are actually waiting for you."

"How so?"

"From what you told me when we first met, you are most likely not addicted to magic. They want to find out if this is true, and possibly develop a cure for magic addiction."

"In other words, I'm to be the test subject in some freakish magic experiment? No, thank you."

Haiden frowned.

"But…it would be a breakthrough discovery for our people."

"I don't care."

"It would save-"

"What part of 'I don't care' don't you get, Haiden?"

He couldn't believe what she was implying. She didn't care about it? How could she _not_ care about it?

"You know what your problem is, Haiden? You assume too much about people. You brought me here _assuming_ I am indeed a blood elf. You treat me this way because you _assume_ I need your protection. You _assumed_ that woman Youra would help me. And now you're _assuming_ that I'm willing to let your mages dissect me to figure out a cure for your own weaknesses. I even think that's the one and only reason you brought me with you in the first place."

He wanted to say no. He wanted to deny everything. Dammit, the future of his entire race depended on her, and she didn't care?!

"I thought you were a better person, Haiden. I actually thought you would help me."

He _did_ want to help her. But his people…

"I guess I was wrong too. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Maybe the past is better left where it belongs."

This (one-sided) conversation was heading towards dangerous ground. He needed to stop her from thinking about…

"So maybe I should just go back home."

Before he could open his mouth to try and convince her otherwise, someone put a hand on his shoulder. He could smell wine in the air.

"Haiden, my old friend! You're back so soon and you haven't even said hello!"

'_Oh, great. Just great. This is exactly what I needed right now…'_

"Fabiano. What are you doing here?"

He didn't need to turn to recognize his 'old friend'. The annoying, red-haired, alcoholic, partygoer (and the list goes on…) blood elf had self-proclaimed himself his best friend. When, or why, he would never know. And frankly, didn't care to find out.

"Just passing by, old chap. And I saw you talking to the little lady over here."

Fabiano disentangled himself from Haiden and took a bow in front of Naidi.

"Pleased to meet you, fair lady. May I humbly introduce myself, Fabiano Sundancer."

Haiden rolled his eyes. "Oh, please…"

The other man straightened himself. "Haiden has never been as mannered or gentlemanly as myself."

"Or as embarrassing."

"There is nothing shameful in courting a lady, my friend."

"Only when you do it several times a day."

"I am a desirable man. Limiting myself to one lady would be a loss for the female kind."

"Or a gain, depending how you look at it."

Naidi couldn't help herself. Watching this clown annoy the hell out of Haiden was downright hilarious. She exploded into a fit of laughter. The two males stopped their arguing to look at her.

"Ah, I am glad I was able to put a smile on that sad face" said Fabiano.

Indeed he had. Her previous anger at Haiden was not forgotten, but attenuated somewhat. Maybe she should reconsider her resolution about leaving…

"May I know the name that accompanies your beauty?"

"Naidi."

"Ah, and a superb name it is. Have you seen the wonders Silvermoon has to offer yet, Naidi?"

"More or less. I've visited some parts this morning, and had some wine in a tavern." She didn't mention she didn't actually drink it.

"But that is nothing at all, my dear! Allow me to take you on a tour of Silvermoon you shall never forget!"

"Now hold on a minute, Fabiano" said Haiden. "She's not going anywhere with you."

"And why wouldn't I?" Naidi said. "Are you going to stop me? Next thing you know, you're going to lock me up in your house! Maybe I really _should_ leave this place once and for all!"

"Nonsense, Naidi!" the redhead said. "There's no need to leave this wonderful city because of people like our Haiden over here. Come, I'm sure he has a lot of work to be doing."

Naidi took the hand Fabiano was offering and sat up. She let him lead her through the streets without sparing Haiden another glance.

* * *

"What do you mean she didn't want to come?!"

He sighed. He just _knew_ this was going to happen.

"She explained, Magister, that she didn't particularly care about our situation. She wasn't very keen on being experimented on."

"We don't exactly have a choice here, Dawnwarder. Magic addiction is a serious issue that all blood elves must take responsibility for."

"She insisted, sir, that she was not a blood elf."

"Nonsense! What is she, then, if not a blood elf?"

"A high elf, maybe" said another magister. "Or perhaps a half-elf. We cannot be sure until we see her for ourselves."

"I don't understand our difficulty here" piped in a magistrix with too much makeup on. "She's not exactly the strongest person on Azeroth. Surely you could have just forced her to come."

"But that would make her lose the very little trust she still has in him, Magistrix."

Haiden was glad Lady Liadrin had agreed to accompany him on this. He knew she would understand his situation better than any of these mages would.

"Well then, Liadrin, if you have a better option feel free to share it."

"I do have one, actually" the woman said as-a-matter-of-facty.

She paused, waiting to get the mages' full attention before continuing.

"It just so happens that the open recruitment day for my order is tomorrow."

The mages' expressions varied between disbelief and skeptical.

"You want to induct her into the Blood Knights?" said the same magistrix with a raised eyebrow.

"I believe it is the best way to keep an eye on her while regaining her trust."

"Really now?" said the first magister, the one who was nearly yelling at Haiden earlier. "Are those your true reasons, Lady Liadrin?"

"Are you insinuating that I have hidden motives, Magister?"

"I cannot help but think that you seek to use the girl as leverage in your future negotiations with this council."

Lady Liadrin frowned.

"May I remind you and the council, Magister, that the order of the Blood Knights was created by Prince Kael'Thas himself. We do not have political or economical ambitions. We simply exist to ensure the future of Silvermoon, and we are all as concerned about the blood elf people as each of you. We will protect the interests of the blood elves. If there is a possible cure for magic addiction, then we shall support and help develop it."

The magister smirked. "This is not one of your public speeches, Liadrin."

"I do not need to speak in public when voicing the ideals of my order."

A pause.

"Will you accept my offer, Magisters, or would you like to give the matter some thought?"

"That won't be necessary, Lady Liadrin" said a magister. He looked at everyone in the room before continuing. "We have ourselves an agreement."

Liadrin looked at Haiden and the man found her stern and determined expression reassuring.


End file.
